The Atlantic: more tales of Vermont workers

Posted by Jack Hoffman on November 26, 2014 at 3:55 pm | Comments Off on The Atlantic: more tales of Vermont workers

Alana Semuels documented the struggles of low-wage Vermont workers in an article earlier this week in The Atlantic. Now she has painted another, more hopeful picture. “A New Business Strategy: Treating Employees Well” focuses on employees at King Arthur Flour in Norwich. Read more

Schools are doing more, and spending more

Posted by Jack Hoffman on November 26, 2014 at 1:52 pm | * Comments (7)

Exhibit A among current critics of Vermont’s education funding system is some version of a chart showing annual education expenditures going up over time and school enrollment going down. Why are we spending more and more money to educate fewer and fewer kids? Read more

Vermont workers are struggling: The Atlantic

Posted by Jack Hoffman on November 25, 2014 at 2:28 pm | Comments Off on Vermont workers are struggling: The Atlantic

The Legislature took a step in the right direction last session when it raised the minimum wage, although it could have done more to offset the state’s increasing income inequality by pushing the minimum higher and more quickly. As it is, Vermont’s minimum wage won’t reach $10.50 until 2018. Read more

They’re voters’ choices, not crises

Posted by Jack Hoffman on November 18, 2014 at 7:28 am | * Comments (1)

Amid all of the speculation about the November election results, one thing seems clear: it was a pretty good year for incumbents. More than 90 percent of current members who ran for the Vermont House or Senate were re-elected. Next year, three out of four seats in the Legislature will be filled by the same people who occupied them last session. Read more

A solution needs a defined problem

Posted by Jack Hoffman on November 4, 2014 at 3:35 pm | * Comments (4)

There wasn’t a lot of substance in this election season. “Where’s the beef?” isn’t a question we hear much during campaigns anymore, as Jon Margolis lamented in his column in vtdigger this week. But while candidates may not need to offer thoughtful, workable proposals or even clearly define problems to get elected, they will need to do both after Election Day if they want to improve life in Vermont. Read more

Will the budget do the job? That’s the question

Posted by Jack Hoffman on October 10, 2014 at 2:31 pm | Comments Off on Will the budget do the job? That’s the question

Next Tuesday, Vermonters get their first chance to weigh in on the fiscal 2016 state budget, which the governor will present in January and the Legislature will review and revise during the session. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding and Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Reardon are hosting two public forums this month:

Oct. Read more

Governor prepares for 2016 cuts to state services

Posted by Paul Cillo on September 30, 2014 at 8:23 am | * Comments (1)

A month after announcing a 2 percent cut to the current year’s budget, the Shumlin Administration is signaling its intention to make additional cuts of as much as 5 percent and possibly more next year (fiscal 2016). For an already anemic state government that is suffering from staffing shortages and struggling to meet its obligations to residents, the administration’s directive cannot be good for Vermonters or for state employee morale. Read more

Pies & Charts

Posted by Sarah Lyons on August 29, 2014 at 12:44 pm | * Comments (1)

You’re invited to Pies & Charts!

The Public Assets team will be traveling around the state this fall, with tasty pies and enlightening charts. Please join us, enjoy the food, and take home some tools to help you talk with policymakers about economic issues in Vermont. Read more

Rescissions aren’t just about the money

Posted by Jack Hoffman on August 13, 2014 at 1:28 pm | Comments Off on Rescissions aren’t just about the money

Will Vermonters be better off or worse off if this year’s state budget is reduced by $36 million? That question wasn’t addressed in the documents presented by the Shumlin administration Monday when it unveiled a plan to cut the fiscal 2015 budget. Read more

Mi escuela es su escuela

Posted by Jack Hoffman on July 22, 2014 at 12:36 pm | * Comments (2)

There are humanitarian reasons for Gov. Peter Shumlin to answer President Obama’s call for help with the Central American refugees who have flocked to the U.S. in recent months. But taking in school-age children, especially on a long-term basis, also could help him with one of the perceived problems with Vermont’s education system. Read more